


Marina Bellator

by Synthacipher



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Action, Alcoholism, Angst, Bill is actually an antagonist for once, Blood and Gore, Gravity Falls - Freeform, Mild/moderate depiction of torture, Minor Character Death, Other, POV First Person, Trigger warning: Alcoholism, it gets kinda sick, journal/diary format, rotting body, trigger warning: physical abuse, trigger warning: self harm(?), will add more tags as story progresses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-28
Updated: 2016-06-17
Packaged: 2018-05-16 19:32:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 19,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5838136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Synthacipher/pseuds/Synthacipher
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marina Bellator was one of the unfortunate citizens to get caught in Weirdmageddon, although, the apocalypse was the least of her worries. She finally decided, after years of literally getting pushed around by her father, to ditch her regret filled life for one on the streets. Her plan was to hide. Hunt and hide. Easy right? Not so much when the Overlord would stop at nothing to turn her against the town she once loved.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. August 26

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to Weirdmageddon hell!  
> This genre of fiction is quite far away form my comfort zone, but, I thought I would give it a try. I mean, everyone comes to a point in their writing life where they feel the need to come up with a dark story.  
> Thanks and enjoy,  
> ~Syntha

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter sets the stage for the rest of the story.

August 26

Third day of Weirdmageddon

I cowered behind a scummy dumpster as a winged eye creature swooped over an inhabitant of this once sleepy town. My eyelids squeezed shut as the lady's blood curdling shriek reverberated off the dilapidated buildings. She lunged for the alley I was in, but, her attempt in saving her life was in vain. The eye of the creature began to glow, and a beam of scarlet, acidic light blared from its pupil. Her body became stone in a matter of seconds, and the bat-like creature lifted the stature to the black bricked, pyramid-looking castle in the sky called the Fearamid. I peered up from my tattered black baseball hat.  _Coast’s clear. Run._  

  I sprinted to the other side of the fragmented street, and onto a more rural one. I flicked my hat off, and wiped the beads of sweat off of  my tanned forehead. The sound of my steel switchblade being flicked open was very satisfying. One thing I learned from surviving in this hellish atmosphere, is to never think you safe from the Overlord's eye. Every single being is either watching or being watched. Someone knows your whereabouts at all times. But the problem is, I don't know  _who_  is watching. As far as I can tell, the Overlord must really have an attachment to eyes. Eyes are spray painted on the sides of buildings, and most of the monsters have only one. The whole concept of being on a highly monitored surveillance creeped me out.

          A rat scurried across the dirt road. I knew that it wouldn't be much of a meal, but, the sun was going down, and I was desperate. The switchblade forged into the small animal, and with one dry shriek, the deed was done. Honestly, I felt a slightest pang of guilt for killing these animals. I understood it's for food, but, the concept of taking something's life? It didn't appeal to me. I picked up the rat, blood and bile seeping from its fatal wound. "I hate doing this." The blade dug into the animal's neck. It cut the main blood vessel, allowing all the blood to drain out. Otherwise, the meat would be inedible. My green eyes flitted from the carcass, and searched the forest in front of me for the path I had made a couple days ago. Spotting it, I took to the woods.

   Blood stained the path. That was a good sign, actually. It meant I have been doing pretty well in my hunting. I am Marina Bellator, and I am unfortunately the fourteen year old daughter of John Bellator. When my mother passed away, I was next in line to feel his wrath. To this day, I still don’t understand why he hated us so much. I guess women were too much of a pain to be treated right. A snap of a twig made me stop in my tracks. I expected to see an awkward looking monster barreling after me, but, it turned out to be just a gray squirrel. I looked at the bloody knife in my hand.  _No, that'd be too difficult to kill._  “Run while you can.” I spat. As if it understood me, it casually scampered in the opposite direction. My calves burned. My thighs felt like jelly. The sun was arriving at its resting place, and that meant that I needed to make short work of getting home. I began to run back to the cabin, but this time, my legs pleaded for a rest.  _That’s what I get for stopping._  I rolled my eyes.  _Just keep running. you’ll be there in no time._

   Come to think of it, I should've jumped in front of that lady earlier today. That would have prevented me from ever having to deal with my father again. My pace decreased to a reluctant walk as I neared the door of his cabin. It was a small property, but, it did look pretty on the outside. Well, minus the trash of course. The door pulled open, and there stood the devil. “That’s it? That’s really all you got? Just a rat? Well," He chuckled. "I guess we know who isn’t eating tonight.” The smell of beer stung my nose. “Get in here.” I shuffled into the cabin, and shut the door behind me.

   My dad lumbered back to his recliner, and sipped on a can of warm beer. “Roast the thing already, I'm dyin' over here.” My teeth gritted together. I haven't eaten anything for three days, and he has the nerve to say that? I stared at the rodent in my hand, walked to the fireplace, and laid it on top of an iron rack. The man in the recliner tossed the can in a pile with the others. “Get me another beer.” I ignored his demand for a moment, trying to weave the rat’s tail in the mesh so it was secure. “I didn’t mean in September, I meant  _now_!” His slurred voice could have easily been heard outside of the cabin. My instincts made me stop fussing with the carcass and stride to the nonfunctional refrigerator. The slightest wave of panic washed over me when I found the fridge empty. “You drank them all, Dad.” “ I said get me a beer!” He stood up and walked toward me, the fire behind him making him look like a satanic silhouette.

   “We-We ran out.” My voice came out much smaller than intended. “Then why didn’t you get any?” My father jammed his fingers in between my ribs. I lifted up my gray tee shirt.  _Yep. That’ll definitely bruise._  “ I-I didn’t know we were out.” I flattened down my shirt, and when I looked up, I saw a furious fire in his cold eyes. “I provide a house for you, warmth for you, a place for you to sleep, and you are too lazy to get me something to drink?” He reeled his meaty fist up, and smacked it across my freckled cheek, hitting my nose in the process. I yelped at the feeling of pain surging through the left side of my face, and collapsed on the floor.

   It was dark out now, and the only source of light were the dancing flames. “Tomorrow, you show up with twice the amount of food, and two cases of beer. _Then_ I will think about forgiving you.” He plucked the rat from the metal grate, and stumbled into his room. The door slammed, making me jump. A quiet patting rhythmically sounded. I looked down, and saw small splats of blood. My brows knit together, and I touched the bridge of my nose. A pained scream nearly burst through my throat, but I managed to shove it down.  _That's a mildly broken nose for sure._  I remained on the ground, shaking from pain and anger. That was the last straw. I have to leave this place. I’m sure the outside is a hell of a lot easier to live in than here.

I waited in the kitchen for a couple hours until I heard the constant pattern of snores from my father’s room. My legs shakily lifted me to a standing position, and I tiptoed to my bedroom. Once I was inside, I picked out a pair of black yoga pants, and clothed myself with them instead of the orange running shorts that could barely classify as clothing anymore. My reflection stared back at me. _This’ll do. Only one thing, my hair is too long._  The floor creaked as I walked to the kitchen. There it was, glinting in the fire light. My knife. I brought it back to the mirror, gathering my wavy brown hair in a ponytail. I wiped the blood off the blade with my shirt, making sure not to cut the fabric. The knife glided through my hair like butter. The hair elastic tumbled to the floor along with the matted, severed locks. To my surprise, my hair looked pretty okay. Instead of it laying on my chest, the chocolate tresses were just above my shoulders. _That would have got caught in everything._ My black baseball hat was placed on my head once again, and I was ready to start a whole new journey. Living in the depths of Weirdmageddon, twenty four/seven.

I slowly pulled open my sock drawer, and snatched the first pair of socks I saw. They were plain white ones with a red stripe on the top of the toes. I quickly slipped them on, and they made the painstaking steps toward the door a lot smoother. As I stalked down the hall, the small pool of blood came into veiw. _I don't want him to have the satisfactory of thinking I'm dead. I'll let him know that I'm alive, and thriving without him._  I drew near to it, and my index finger dipped into sticky liquid. It was still warm. The feeling of not so foreign liquid seeping into the minuscule indentations of my fingerprint was actually welcoming. I didn't know what to draw.  _An 'M'? No, I'll draw one of those triangular things that I've seen around. I heard that whenever someone someone draws one of those, It opens another surveillance outlet for the Overlord._ "He deserves it." A sick smile grew on my face as I drew the triangular creature, soon followed by a low chuckle. The creature was finished, and quite frankly, I was proud of it. My knees popped as I stood up and strode silently to the front door. My beat up Nike's were laced up, ready for my feet to take me away. I placed my hand on the cold doorknob.  _This is really happening. This isn't a dream._  The door pulled open with ease, and I stood in the door frame, scanning the foggy forest for any potential threats. None. I looked behind me, nervousness seething through every fiber of my being. I fixed my hat, and then, I was off.

To be honest, I was terrified. Sure, I got rid of one problem, but what about survival? The soft sound of pine needles under foot kept my mind from thinking too much. After what seemed like only minutes, the forest thinned into the town. For the first time, I was able to take in the sight of the broken city. The buildings were nothing but rubble and ruins. Giant, multi colored bubbles floated in the air, but higher than usual. What were they called again? Weirdness Bubbles. If anyone got stuck in one, they would go insane. I guess the Overlord assumed everyone was asleep, and there wasn't any use for them on the ground. A sideways grin formed across my grimy face as I strode across the dirt road. "It's kinda nice out here, all alone." I gripped the switchblade in my hand, ready to flick it at any moment. "As nice as an apocalyptic city can get, I mean."

   After passing a patch of smoking, twisted metal, I was in the heart of the city. The Fearamid loomed above. Apparently, that's where _he_  lives. It annoyed me that I have never seen this guy before. If he is causing all this, than why doesn't he come out and enjoy the view for a little while? I puffed out my cheeks, and I noticed something near the Fearamid. I haven't seen it there before. A pink bubble, wrapped in chains, with a shooting star engraved on it. Looks like Mabel's favorite sweater. I haven't seen my old friend around, and I had a strong feeling she was inside the floating jail cell.  _Why would someone protect her from this? Why did they need her? Is anyone else in there?_

   Once again, my legs became lead weights, and my eyes began to droop. I looked to the sky, furrowing my neatly groomed brows. "C'mon... I know you're up there." after a few moments of searching, I found the hazy moon. Even through the green - gray fog, I could still see the planet's natural beauty. "Two - thirty, three ish.." I mumbled to myself. The urge to stretch overcame my body, followed by a yawn. I really needed to find a place to sleep. My eyes instantly glanced at an alley. In all this mess, that was the safest place I could think of. I trotted into the dark median, finding a tattered newspaper that could act as a blanket. My head rested on the cement. The black hat soon tumbled off of my head, and I pulled it close to me, placing my folded knife in it. _I'll be okay. I'm tough. Monsters should fear me._ I snorted at my self motivation, and my eyelids fluttered shut as I awaited the horror of a mind at rest.


	2. August 31 and September 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is where the gore comes into play.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!  
> I was really excited to write something gross for once. Like I said, this is very out of my comfort zone, but to say the least, I am very proud of how it turned out.  
> Enjoy!  
> ~Syntha

August 31 and September 1

Eighth and ninth day of Weirdmageddon

 _"Where's my knife?" Tears fell down my face out of shrill panic. The monster sped closer and closer. I couldn't make out what it looked like, but its sadistic snarls were enough to make my hair stand on end. "Where is it? Where is it?" I began to sprint down the alley. "You can't hide forever! I'll eventually find you! And when I do..." A thunderous, synthesized chuckle erupted from the garnet sky. I tripped on a brick, and the monster didn't hesitate to corner me. It swiped at me, missing me by millimeters. The thing screeched, and an eye bat swooped down from the fog, making dust billow in my eyes. It splayed out its scaly, purple-black wings, and I tucked into a ball as a beam of acidic light burned my skin._  

 I jumped up from my sleeping position, and remnants of tears decorated my cheeks. _That was the worst one yet._  The night terrors started about two days ago, and it was becoming normal for my mind to crash itself back into reality. My knife was in my hat, not yards away, but, just where I put it. I instantly held them close. A distant scream froze my blood. _You're in Weirdmageddon full time now. Get yourself together._  My Number one priority was Food. I haven't eaten since Tuesday.Today was Thursday. I flipped the baseball hat on my head, and  flicked my knife out of its sheath. My emerald eyes searched the ground for anything that resembled food as I prowled through the alley. I reached the end of the median, and scanned the street. Nothing was in front of me, but, I sensed something behind me. My muscles wanted to bolt, but my brain was petrified; frozen.

    Nerves welled up in my stomach like covered pasta pot, and when mind and body made a connection, it was too late. Shiny, brown talons were wrapped around my neck, trying their best to both puncture my trachea and crush it. The claws felt like push pins, slowly ripping through my skin as if it were drywall. My fingers dropped the switchblade, and it nearly sliced open my big toe. The leathery hands pulled me further into the alley, and the claws curled into my throat. _No. I can't go this way. That would be pitiful._  clawed at the hands with my jagged nails. Luckily, it stunned the monster, allowing me just enough time to slip from its death grip. I stole a glimpse at the creature. It was green, with an off-white yellowish underside. its escape from a prison-like facility was evident, due to the broken shackles on its ankle and wrist. large ears flopped at the tips, yellow fangs hung from its drooping mouth, and worst of all, its eyes had been replaced with eight balls. I shrunk back for a beat, and then realized that this was my chance to kill this thing.

   I scampered toward my knife, picking it up and sprinting back to the creature. My blade glinted as I lifted it up, but before it penetrated the monster's flesh, its lime green digits were curled around my wrist. "I wouldn't do that it I were you." It had a somewhat stupid voice, which lightened the mood the smallest bit. "You're lucky that I didn't eat you by now. If Boss knew that I killed you..." It shuddered visibly. "Let's just say that my death would be way more gruesome than yours would have been." It ripped the blade from my hand, and pointed it back at me. "But, there aren't any rules against what I can do to you." It smirked, and flipped me around so my back was facing him. It lifted up my shirt, and a sharp, searing pain jolted through my upper back. I could feel my skin bursting open with every slow stroke of my knife. Seconds slowed to minutes. "Ah, W-what are you doing?" My back hunched, but that only ripped the skin farther apart. A dumb chuckle swirled from the monster's mouth. "Branding! Ya ever heard of it?" The last swipe of my own blade was made, and it dropped my knife on the cracked asphalt with a clatter.

   Blood splattered off of it. _My own knife dug into my own skin._  The monster pulled my shirt back down. "By the way, the blood on your shirt makes you look tough." With that, the monster vanished; evaporated.  I picked up the bloody knife and ran to the forest, trying to not focus on my throbbing back. _Pretend that never happened. You are on a hunting trip, remember?_  Once I was a good distance into the woods, I  dropped on all fours to hunting stance. I caught a glimpse of something moving about ten feet ahead of me. It had dun feathers, and was speckled with white. _A Ruffled Grouse._  My eyes locked in on the target. I moved silently through the woods, the soft pine needles absorbing any audible footsteps. The bird was completely oblivious to its impending doom. It just pecked at the ground and strutted a few paces. I gripped the handle of my blade. _Go. Now._  

   I leapt from the forest floor, landing right on top of the bird. The blade cut halfway through the fowl's neck, and blood gushed from the opening. I picked the bird up by its feet, not caring about the stream of blood steadily staining the back of my shirt. My muscles tensed as the bird flopped onto the freshly cut wound. _Be more careful, jeez._ I began to walk back to 'camp', when I felt something go off balance. "Something's here." My eyes looked up, and in a tree sat a black, raccoon-like creature with glowing yellow eyes. It flung from its perch, and landed right in front of me. I swiped at the animal. It dodged the knife, and lunged for my arm. It sunk its fangs into my flesh, the feeling unbelievably painful.

   A silent scream ripped through my vocal cords, and my eyes clamped shut. Teeth ripped through my arm muscle, and seconds seemed to slow to maximize the pain. My vision flashed white for a moment, when the hurt was at its crescendo. The animal dislodged its fangs from me, and seemed to analyze me like it was choosing what other appendage to mutilate. I dropped the dead bird that was in the hand of the not wounded arm, and I punched the animal in the side. The wind was knocked out of it, and it laid on the ground, dazed. I took advantage of this opportunity, and slammed the knife into its side.The satisfying rip of its body bursting oped was like a bell ending a boxing match. A mixture of different bodily fluids seeped into the blanket of pine needles, and the creature made various gurgling sounds. My arm was dripping with scarlet. My ears were ringing, and my breath was labored. _Run to a convenience store._  I knew the idea was hopeless, but it was worth a try, considering the only other option is to bleed out. I grabbed the bird, and ran as fast as I could out of the forest.

        My vision was glassed over, and I could barely walk, but, I made it to a drug store. I pushed open the door, and the inside looked just as bad as the exterior. Medicine and first aid supplies were scattered carelessly about. I could feel my heartbeat in my temples. _Hurry. You're losing tons of blood._ I found some gauze and wrapped my arm as tight as I could. The pain was unbearable, but, at least I wouldn't bleed to death. My head felt light, and I stumbled to a corner. _If... you're gonna...pass...passs..._  The room was spotted with black, and I knew I was going to fall unconscious. No one...find... h e r e...    

      I woke up to red sunlight pouring through the dirty, broken windows of the store. I sat up, and pain shot through my right arm. The smell of salty copper stung my nose. The bird laid at the other side of the store in a sticky pool of blood. I glanced at the gauze, and large spots of red decorated it. "Some bite." I said. I lifted myself up, and a sharp gasp slipped through my lips. Guess the wound was deeper than I expected.My knife was in hand, and I retrieved the bird. I lifted it up slightly, and strings of crimson stuck to the feathers. 

   "Ew." I scraped the feathers off, and ripped off a piece of the side. I ended up with a crudely cut piece of poultry. Now what? I didn't have anything to cook it with. The only other choice was to eat it raw. My hands were shaking with anticipation. I wolfed down the small piece, not caring what it tasted like. The meat tasted identical to the way it looked. Slimy, chewy, and somewhat metallic. On the bright side, I wouldn't starve. It felt really good to finally eat something. I hacked off another chunk, and gulped it down instantly. 

        Believe it or not, I inhaled almost the whole thing. The only pieces left were the non edible tendons and some organs. I cracked open some bones, eating the marrow for heath benefits.  _I'd forgotten how good it feels to be full._ My body flopped into the pile of debris, and I began to think. _I can't leave this shelter until my wound was mostly healed._ I was nervous of staying here for that long. _What if the monsters come? What if there are more of the yellow-eyed animals?_

   Fear bubbled up in my throat. _No, don't think about that. I'm fine. Nothing will find me._  "I'm fine." My voice was raspy from lack of use. I told myself that I was okay, but inside, I knew I wasn't. I was in a venerable shelter. I was hurt. My eyes flitted around my temporary residence, and a pile of snack food and a broken vending machine grabbed my attention.  _At least I won't go hungry._

  I waded through the medicine and other convenience items scattered about, and reached through a busted hole in the machine for a drink. I pulled out a Pitt Cola, and hastily popped the tab. The fizz was a symphony to my ears, and I savored the first gulp. I knew soda wasn't the best option for me since I was on the brink of dehydration, but, it was still liquid, and I was  _seriously_  enjoying the peachy liquid.My head rested on the cream colored wall, and a relaxed sigh rose in my throat.

   Living alone in Weirdmageddon was a huge undertaking, and to at least _attempt_ survival, heightened senses are a must. _Take in your surroundings. You'll feel much safer if you take in your surroundings._   I nodded to my thoughts, and perked my ears. "I-I hear screaming. And those Eye Bats, lots of 'em." I drew in a deep inhale, and the sweet flavor in my mouth was replaced with iron. "I smell blood. Mine and the bird's." I placed the cola on the side of the overturned vending machine, and tried to sense any movement. To my horror, I felt methodical  thumps shake the ground.

   I burrowed in the pile of debris, and prayed that I wasn't visible. "I swear, this bite'll never heal at this rate." By now the thumps were very delectable, gnomes and deer fleeing for the dilapidated city. A low roar tore through the air, murdering my eardrums. A split second later, a giant hoof smacked down on a deer's back leg.

   The poor animal screamed, and seemed to be drained of every drop of energy it had. Blood peeked out from under the giant hoof. The monster swooped its purple body toward its prey, and skewered it on to its yellowing fang. Stomach contents rushed form the opening, finalizing the deer's death.

   The monster lifted its foot. I glanced at where the deer's back leg should have been. All that was left of it was a mutilated mass of muscle and fragmented bone, hanging on to the hunch by one thread of flesh. An arm that was attached to the monster's mouth slid the carcass off of its fang, and popped it into its mouth. The deafening sound of bone crunching into shrapnel poisoned my ears. I clenched my teeth with force I did't know I was capable of having, and a tear of terror slid down my cheek. I prepared myself for a terrible death, but, quite frankly, the cyclops didn't bother to look inside the convenience store. It bumbled through the streets, in search  of its next meal. 

        I lifted my head when I felt the cost was clear, and gazed outside the window. All that remained of the innocent animal was a smear of fragmented hoof, flesh, and bone ground into the pavement, soaked in a pool of bile. I stammered back as the image carved itself into my memory. I licked my dry lips, and felt something fall loose. I jumped at the peculiar feeling, and spat out what ever it was. _A...Tooth? That can't be, I lost all of my teeth years ago._  I felt around my mouth for a gap with my pointer finger, but instead, got poked by what seemed to feel like a built in blade. My tooth was chipped. Top row, right of my right front tooth. "Well, I guess I have a fang now." 


	3. September...7? 8?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marina meets someone that doesn't want to kill her!

**September... 7?**

 

**Fifteenth day of Weirdmageddon?**

 

      I swept through the streets, my ears picking up every sound around me. This was my first day out of the convenience store, and I was positive that every monster within a five mile radius could sense that I was wounded. Least to say, I would be a monster magnet until this bite is mostly healed.

 

The city looked like it usually did. Rubble smoked, and weirdness bubbles floated around aimlessly. My left hand held a water bottle from the vending machine, and in my right dangled a headless rat. I found that discarding the head was a better option than eating it. No matter what the circumstances, I will _never_ eat rat brains, or any brains for that matter.

 

The clouds looked particularly dreary today. They were a russet gray, and they blocked out the sun with ease. I wanted to say it was going to rain, but, knowing this epoch is named 'Weirdmageddon', anything can happen.

 

I kept walking, but had no intention of returning to the store. I felt if I stayed in one place too long, things would find out where I am, and if that happens, only hell knows what my demise would be.

 

Thunder rolled in the distance. "Better find a place soon." I mumbled. A massive figure swam through the air. My blood ran cold, and I leapt for an in between. I scaled a chain link fence, my arm screaming at me, and crouched low to the ground.

 

My mind processed what the being was. It was a whale. I ran from a whale.

 

I stood up, brushing dirt off of my clothing. "Wow, I might not need a weirdness bubble to go insane after all." As I looked down on myself, I noticed that my clothing was looser than it has been in the past, and _much_  bloodier. “Never planned on losing weight this way.” A cold chuckle rolled off my tongue.

 

Scarlet dots slowly began to appear on the cement. My brows knit together, and I bent down to touch the mysterious liquid. It was warm, and sticky. Blood _._ I glanced skyward, and sure enough, menacing red-gray nimbuses interlocked to create a chillingly huge storm cloud. _Shit. Have to find a place to stay. Right now._ The thought of my clothes sopping with blood rain did not appeal to me whatsoever. A vacant home was tucked away from the city, and looked the slightest bit nicer than any of the shops. I sprinted to it, which wasn’t the best idea.

By the time I reached the ramshackle, my sight was blotchy and my head felt like helium. I stumbled in, and found no evidence of occupants. My gaunt frame fell onto a ripped, paisley love seat. The odd precipitation became slightly audible. “Glad I found a place to stay.”

 

My lightheadedness was slowly fading, and the rain was pouring now. The windows were coated in diluted blood. I began to fall into the unconsciousness of sleep, when a tall, bloody figure burst through the door.

 

“W-Who the hell are you?” My knife was instantly out of its sheath. “No, no, I mean no harm! I just needed a place to wait out this rain!” The boy seemed startled by the blade. “I said, _who are you_?” My voice lowered to a poisonous growl. “Uh, Wilson Chiffer.”

 

White noise of the rain filled the house as I slinked over to him. I held my blade close to him, sea green eyes scanning his form. He shared my bony structure, only he was much taller. His skin was a deep tan, and freckles dotted his cheeks, shoulders, and arms. Blond  hair was stained red from the rain, and light amber eyes stared at me with fear. My knife folded back on itself, and I placed it on a small coffee table.

 

“I’m Marina Bellator, nice to meet you.”  Wilson wiped his face with his palms. “Same to you.” He seemed shaken up, and rightfully so. I wouldn’t expect running through blood rain to be fun. I looked around the cramped first floor for something he could use to clean himself.  A blue dish towel was thrown on the formica counter. “Here.” I grabbed the rag, and began to wipe the claret liquid from his face. “Thanks.” Wilson’s voice was muffled from the fabric across his mouth. “Don’t mention it.”

 

The blood rain died down a couple hours ago, and natural rain gently fell. Wilson rummaged through the previous occupant’s closets, and managed to find a black tee shirt and khaki cargos. They were the slightest bit baggy, but, dry clothes are better than blood-sodden ones.

  
The two of us were crammed onto the love seat, refusing to sleep on the floor. I was behind the tall boy. The metallic scent of his rosy tendrils tainted the air. The boy’s breathing was steady, and it reminded me that he wasn’t a monster, but a _human._ “Can you sleep?” My vocal chords sounded tangled, due to the meat we shared a minute before. “No, and I’m guessing you can’t either?” His voice sounded chillingly familiar, but, different all the same. I twirled a piece of his strawberry tinted hair to calm myself. _He’s real. Wilson is a real human. He’s not here to hurt you._

“Marina?” The boy’s voice made me jump out of my skin. “Can I stick around with you? You know, like keep each other company and stuff?” The thought of company pleased and scared me. _It would be nice to have another person around to talk to. Beats talking to myself. But, what about food? I’ll have to hunt for two._ “Uh, sure, as long as you hunt for yourself.”  

“Okay! I can definitely do that!” hushed excitement shone in his voice. “Okay. Let’s try to sleep now, we’ve got a long day ahead of us.” Wilson nodded, and for the first time since Weirdmageddon began, I had a peaceful sleep.

 

Summer sunlight blared through the windows, casting red light through the house. Wilson’s appendages were tangled with mine, and his head rested in the crook of my neck. It was was definitely an awkward situation, but... Maybe he had a nightmare? I didn’t try to get up. If I did, the motion would surely wake him.

 

He stirred, and lifted his head from my shoulder. “Morning.” Wilson mumbled. “Morning.” He noticed the predicament his sleeping body got him into, and hurriedly stumbled from the loveseat. “Uh, sorry about that.” The boy scratched his head, embarrassed. “It’s fine.” I stood up, my back and shoulders popping.

I winced as the unknown symbol on my shoulder blade re opened once again. “Ah, I’m going to the bathroom for a moment.” The other nodded, a tiny bit confused. Bare feet patted on the scratched hardwood.  _ there it is.  _ I pulled the door open with my good arm, and revealed the powder room. The mirror was cracked, but still usable. I lifted my shirt gently and turned around. My neck craned to the side to see what the brand was. 

 

**_XII_ **

 

I was confused. Why XII? I racked my brain for any similarities or connections. Then it hit me.  _ The monster had its eyes replaced with eight balls. XII is the roman numeral eight.  _ A shiver shocked my spine as a stared at the blood crusted brand. 

 

Somehow, I managed to tear my eyes from the wound. I looked in the mirror. The person who stared back at me was a stranger. I was a fit teenager with pretty green eyes, nice full eyebrows, and long wavy hair. The girl in the mirror was on the verge of starvation, unbrushed sun lightened locks. Sun freckles added to my natural ones, and my eyebrows were overgrown. Sad, sea green eyes pleaded for a civilized life. They widened, and saltwater collected at the waterlines. A first tear slipped down my acne spotted cheek.  _  This is what the Overlord wanted?  _ More tears fell and splatted on the floor.  _ What happened to the Marina that was the envy of the girl’s sport teams? Excelled in algebra? What happened to the Marina with  _ **_morals?_ **

 

The tears stung against the minor cuts on my face. The tip of my nose was blushed pink. How could a human change so much in the time frame of only a couple weeks? A rapping on the scratched door mildly terrified me.  _ Wilson is here, remember?  _ “Are you alright? You’ve been in there for a while.” The boy sounded truly concerned. “Uh yeah, I’m fine. I’ll be out soon.” “Okay.” Footsteps sounded quieter and quieter as he left.  _ Pull yourself together. You’ve got some surviving to do.  _

“Ready to get some water? I know a place.” Wilson’s eyes lit up “Yeah! I haven’t had some in a while.”

 

The ground was slightly sticky, and the air made the both of us gag. I had a foreboding feeling of monsters, but we’d cross that bridge when we came to it.

 

We hastened to my past shelter for recourses. Wilson looked up from the ground.  “What’s the game plan for today?” “First is water, then we can start thinking about hunting.” The boy nodded. Eye Bats glided above, searching for victims to petrify. We stuck to the shadows, and kept our pace swift.  

 

We were nearing the store. Everything looked so familiar. My nerves tingled. “Uh, Wilson, do you sense anything?” My voice was shaky. “Yeah, something’s close. My switchblade  folded open. “You have a weapon?” “All I need are my hands.” Wilson chuckled.

 

A shadow lurked in an alley. Glowing orange snake eyes stared at us. A split second later, a massive, teal reptile stood inches from us. A forked, magenta,  tongue slid in and out of its slimy mouth. Fiery eyes stared hungrily at us.  Thick, ebony claws were stained faded red. The sun made its scales glisten magnificently.

 

It lunged forward, and both of us lept out of the way. It hissed, and spat. A drop of the saliva landed on my shoe, burning a hole through it. “Acid? Really?” “Use your knife!” Wilson screamed. His golden eyes were filled with fear. The lizard whipped its head around to him, and barreled toward him. I sprang on the komodo’s back, and hammered my switchblade into its neck. It took quite a bit of strength to penetrate the thick skin. “Hurry up!” Wilson plastered himself to a brick wall. The animal was too close to him. Tears streamed down my face. _I can’t save this kid._ My eyes slammed shut, and I heard cracking and tearing. 

 

My breath hitched, and my eyelids opened slowly. Wilson was covered in silver blood, and the head of the reptile was disconnected from the body. “Y-You’re not _dead_?” I yanked my knife out of the monster, and ran to him. “God, I thought it would kill you!” I wrapped my arms around his gaunt frame, and he tensed. “How did you do that?” He let out a single laugh. “I told you, all I need are my hands.” I looked up at him. “Damn, you.” I hugged him for a moment more, and wiped the metallic blood off of my blade. “Let’s go before one of us actually does die.

 

wilson pushed the battered door open. “This is the place?” “Yep. This is our jackpot.” The skeleton of the grouse lay in the corner. “I can see you like poultry.” Wilson snickered. “Raw poultry that is.” My bottle green eyes scanned the cluttered floor. “Pick up anything you think we might need.” The boy returned a single nod, and began to rummage through the items. I grabbed as much water as my arms could hold, and a couple snacks. Wilson had bandages and gauze. “Got everything?” “Uh huh.” I grinned. “Okay. Let’s get the hell out of here then.” We stalked out of the building, and back into the shadows to our temporary home.

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Life is full of fake people, trust no one  
> -Anonymus


	4. I'm Pretty Sure It's September 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bill has eyes everywhere.

**I’m pretty sure it’s September 8**

 

**Sixteenth day of Weirdmageddon**

 

“Alright, next order of business is hunting.” Wilson nodded as he downed half a bottle of water. “Okay, do you favor any areas in the forest?” The blond’s voice sounded less parched, and quite smooth. _His voice sounds so familiar…_ “Uh, nowhere comes to mind. I usually hunt wherever is  convenient for me.” Wilson pursed his lips, my reply clearly not getting him anywhere. “ We should probably keep doing that then.” The blond dramatically cracked his knuckles. “Well, what are we waiting for?”

 

Our steps were synced. The spring of the mahogany colored pine needles eased the tension that had been created from my previous hunting trip.  I glanced at Wilson. He seemed so concentrated. Blond tendrils swayed into his vision of sight, and he absent mindedly brushed them back. Hearing a crack of a twig, I looked ahead. What I saw wasn’t a potential meal, but a boy. I recognized the hat immediately.

  
“Dipper!” I sheathed my knife, and sprinted toward the boy I haven’t seen since this

Armageddon happened. Wilson seemed stunned; a little uncomfortable about the abrupt scenario. Dipper’s head snapped up. His eyes were large with fear, but softened at my figure. I tackled the boy in a tight bear hug, and he wrapped his arms around me.

 

“I was worried sick about you!”  The brunet’s eyes glistened. “I thought everyone I knew was… gone.” Wilson caught up with us. “Uh, hey. I’m Wilson.” He stuck out a hand which Dipper took in his. “Wow, you have a strong grip.” The blond snorted. “Thanks, kid.” Dipper faltered, and grinned.

 

“So, what brings you to the woods, and, god Marina, what happened to your arm?” Dipper’s voice cracked. I glanced at my bandaged arm. The gauze had dark brown spots on it. _Well, at least it stopped bleeding._ “I, uh, got attacked by some racoon thing. I’m surprised I haven’t gone insane with rabies yet.” I chuckled. The boy seemed taken aback by my newly developed wry sense of humor. “I saved this kid from the blood rain.” I elbowed Wilson, and a small huff puffed out of him. “You did not, I just so happened to scare the hell out of you when you were asleep.” My eyes rolled. “Whatever. Anyway, how’s Mabel?”

  
Dipper’s eyes softened at the name and began to glitter again. “She’s… She’s, well… I can’t find her. She ran into the woods after your fight, and she had the rift in her backpack. It must have broke or something.” A single tear left his chocolate eyes. I remembered him telling me about the rift, and what would happen if it shattered. I didn’t know the two got in a fight, though. “Wow, Dipper I’m sorry. I know she’s okay. She can kick ass like nobody’s business! You told me about how she dealt with the 

gnomes. If she can knock out a thousand midgets, she can _definitely_ handle a couple generic monsters.” He sniffed. “Yeah, probably. My theory is that she’s in that bubble. The shooting star kinda gives it away.” I nodded. “Do you want to come hunting with us?” Wilson rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. _What was his deal?_ “Sorry, I can’t. Wendy wanted me to collect kindling for our fire. We ran out of money to burn.” I snorted. “Okay, see you ‘round then?” He half-smiled. “See you ‘round.” He embraced me, this time with grip. For all he knows, this could be the last time we see each other. Wilson and I began to walk ahead of him, and I saluted to the thirteen year old. He responded with the same gesture.

 

“What was that?” Wilson huffed. “ _He_ was Dipper Pines, one of my best friends.” “Why would you befriend a nerd like that?” I flicked my knife open just in case some food happens to walk by. “Because, he is sweet, and a very likable person.” Sometimes this kid really pisses me off.

 

We managed to get a couple squirrels and a quail, which was pretty well in my book. _I should have asked Dipper where his hideout was. No, we’ll be fine on our own, right?_  

We were walking back to ‘base’ when a three headed bluebird dove at me, tiny talons first. I simply gouged my blade through it when it got too close. The thing shrieked a horrid, three part harmony screech, and fell to the ground with a thud of bodily fluids.

 

“You’re getting pretty good with that knife, huh?” Wilson chuckled. He seemed unfazed by the dead bird, but, then again, I have grown immune to it too. “Thanks, I remember a time when I would have found that mildly horrific.” The blond slung an tan arm around my neck, resting a bloodied hand by my cheek. I could smell the metallic salt. “Being in an apocalyptic warzone will do that to ya.”

 

We forged ahead, dodging big hooves, feet, and arm-heads. Any monsters that came too close for comfort were offed. Luckily, nothing big came after us. The sun was just setting when we reached base. The rays casted an unsettling sunset of green and yellow. Then there was the rip in our dimension.

 

New terrors emerged from that thing every day, but it was a neat to  look at. It was technicolored, the hues swirling and mixing together. How could something so beautiful be so harmful?

 

Dinner was pretty okay. Not only have I gotten used to the taste of raw meat, but I have some to like it the slightest bit. My father crossed my mind for the first time in weeks. _I wonder how he’s doing. Probably sitting in the exact spot he was when I left him._ A poisonous sneer curled my lip. Wilson noticed, and did the same, except his was genuine.

I was on the loveseat, trying to beckon sleep by playing with one of Wilson’s golden tresses. Pale moonlight flowed into the room in scattered beams, thanks the the cracked windows. “So, ya had fun today, Warrior?” I earned that pseud from my translated last name. “ As much fun as a living nightmare could be.” I yawned. I never got a break from the stuff. When I was awake, I had to fight for my life just to  get by. When I was asleep, I had to deal with different creatures (all of them as terrible as the last) reminding me that ‘Bill has eyes everywhere.’ I still don’t fully understand why that phrase was reoccurring, I haven’t heard it outside of my dreams.

 

Before long, My eyelids were heavy, and my mind was slowing its thoughts. My consciousness was slowly slipping away, and then came my nightmare.

 

Brain, you never cease to terrify me.

 

_I was in my classroom, seated at a desk. I was surrounded by other students, but they looked different. Their skin was cut and bruised, their knees scuffed and scabbed from tripping. The desks were falling apart, and vines tethered them to the dirt floor. The vines clawed their way to the walls, and strangled every brick with their thick roots. Blood was written across the vine covered walls. I couldn’t make out the letters though._

 

_The teacher silently stood full back to the class. . She had the same aesthetic as the students, only, her clothes were free of damage. Her short hair was matted, and scars covered her bony arms.She appeared to be writing something on a blood stained chalkboard  My eyes strained to look at the words… or symbols. She was writing in some sort of code._

  
_Once she covered the board in code, she turned to the class. Her face looked grayish, and_

_her lips were cracked and bloody. Her sclera was deep black, and her pupils were bright red and catlike. A deep triangle brand was carved in her forehead, and blood mixed with puss around the wound._

 

 _“Class, it looks as if we have a new student.” The others didn’t move. They just kept their attention on their teacher. “Why don’t we tell her the class rules?” Slowly, the students turned their heads toward me. Their faces and hands were covered in blood, and some looked lucky to be alive. They all wore grey clothing, and had bare feet. Bloodied knives of different sizes and blade structure lay across the desks. Their eyes were pale yellow, and had a black pupil slitted across the center. “Number one.” The voices were horrifyingly ugly. It was like nothing I have ever heard before. “No soul comes out unscathed. Number two. You will bow down. Number three. He has eyes_ **_everywhere_ ** _.” With that they picked up a knife, some grabbing it by the blade and cutting their fingers to the bone. They shuffled toward me and-_

"Marina! Are you okay? You were talking in your sleep again.” Wilson stood over me, worry evident on his face. “N-No, I’m fine. Just a nightmare… Again. I slowly stood up. My blood felt cold, and my heart was beating a mile a minute. “Just a nightmare.”  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ya know, I write some really disturbing shit at three in the morning.


	5. It's Mid September... I Think

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This and the next chapter go out to my friend, Shannon, who really wanted to see a rotting corpse in this fiction.

**It’s mid September… I think.**

 

**I stopped counting the days a while ago, get used to it.**

 

We were running out of places to hide. Monsters flew out of that goddamn rip every single day. I’m starting to think there are more monsters than humans around here. Eye bats keep taking the townsfolk. What were they doing with them anyway? They’re stone for christ sake, it’s not like they can be of any use.

 

Update on my major injuries. The brand on my back is pretty much healed, but it left a pale _XII_ on my shoulder blade. Guess the monster got his wish. My arm! I’m sure that’s the most important part of this. It’s doing pretty alright. The gauze isn’t needed anymore. The bite marks closed up, but left ugly, peach hued indentations in my skin.

 

Oh, and another thing. The Overlord _still_ hasn’t shown himself. What a surprise.

 

Wilson says my personality is changing. I didn’t notice. Maybe people don’t recognise those changes in themselves. “Is that a bad thing?” I was slightly worried. I didn’t want him bailing on me. To be honest, I’ve grown quite fond of his presence. “No, you’re just adapting to your surroundings. I’m actually proud of you.” He took the faded hat off my head, and placed it on his. “Give that back!” I jumped, and snatched the hat from him. “Fine, fine! Jeez!” His amber eyes squinted when he smiled.

 

I gazed at the hat in my hands. _Since when were my fingers this much of a mess?_ It was true. Dried blood and dirt were hiding under my rigid nails, and my fingers themselves were permanently stained a dusty brown.

 

As for the hat, it didn't look too great either. Brown dots were visible from the time it rained blood. The top of it was a dark gray tone form where the brutal sun was beating down on it. Silver splattered the bill and the inside, a memento from the time Wilson killed that lizard-dragon-thing. The cloth on the bill was torn and fraying, and small holes were burned into the headspace from hot ashes.

 

“That hat tells quite the story.” Wilson punched me playfully in the arm. “Oh yeah. It looks like it’s been around forever.” I fixed it on my head. It felt unnatural to carry on without it. The blond jumped on the blue formica counter with the grace of a cat. “So, you have a game plan?” I pursed my lips. “No, not really.” The boy half grinned. “Why don’t we have some fun, then?”

  
_Fun? What the hell?_  My face screwed up, obviously confused by his words. “Ah, c’mon! We’ve been working our asses off for two months straight! The least we could do is play a game of tag or something.” He brushed through his greasy hair with his fingers. _Eh. I guess we could use a break. If we get into any trouble, Wilson and I will eat_ _it for dinner. Literally._ “Okay, five year old.” He jumped off the table, barely sticking the landing, and posed with jazz hands. “What the hell are you doing?” I laughed.

 

Another thing about Weirdmageddon. It made us vulgar.

 

“Am I not allowed to be happy now?” Wilson stood up, a pout on his face. “You can be really… Interesting when you want to be.” His mood changed in a flash. “Thanks!” A grin curled the corners of my mouth. “I’m gonna try to wash this stuff off of my hands.” The blond glanced at his fingers and  grimaced. “That sounds like a good idea.”

 

I grabbed the used bar of soap, and ran some of our bottled water over it. It lathered in my hands as I rubbed them together. Wilson poured more  water over them, and the suds slid into the sink’s drain. My fingers looked a little bit better, but I knew the remaining grime was there for the long run.

 

I repeated the process for Wilson. He had the same outcome. It’s not like I would expect anything less, though. We looked in the mirror, our beaten faces and hard eyes staring back at us. “Look at us.” The blond chuckled. “We look like a couple of savages.” I snorted at his quite literal comparison. “We kinda are, I guess. Oh, and look at this! I got a nice farmer’s tan!” I lifted my tee shirt sleeve to prove my statement. The other snickered.

 

“Attractive, huh?” I smiled at him. “I guess we’re matching.” He lifted his sleeve too, revealing the same outcome wrought by the sun. “Do you think the ladies will swoon?” He spun me around by the shoulders, and brought his face close to mine. Very close.

 

Heat rose to my already warm cheeks as I mapped out every freckle on his bronzed skin. “You look nice when your cheeks do that.” The boy buzzed. “Thanks.” His honey eyes searched my face, seeing every cut, scrape, and bruise. “You have a nice nose.” I raised a dark brow. “It healed crooked.” The tip of my nose was slightly pushed to the right. It reminded me of why I’m not in that cabin anymore. “But it’s still pretty.” A crooked smile pulled at my dry, bloody  lips. “You’re not too bad yourself.

 

The two of us strolled out of our now permanent home. Screams echoed through flat wasteland, and dead tree forests swayed their burnt branches. “What a _beautiful_ view! Watch this, if you don’t like the trees blocking your way, you could just…” I body slammed into a singed tree with my good arm. I knew it was healed, but I didn’t want to use it just yet. The tree shook, and slowly collapsed. Luckily, none of the others fell with it. We wouldn’t want to attract attention.

  
“Nice, now every man eating creature knows where it’s next meal is.” Wilson whined. “Oh, shut up! You killed a giant ass lizard with your hands for christ sake!” I punched him in the arm, and he winced. “Another bruise to add to the collection.” My eyes rolled into my head. “You are such a kid.”

 

“How about that game of tag, huh? Ya still up for it?” The blond squatted a little, ready to sprint in the opposite direction. “Okay, only if you stay where we can see each other. I don’t feel like getting one of us killed today.” His stance loosened. “You need to relax. Just run as fast as you can and don’t give up. Even if you feel tired.” The other’s voice shifted to something more serious. “Um… Okay. Don’t know what the tone is for.”

 

As soon as the sentence was punctuated, the blond sprinted away. My stomach flipped as my competitive side kicked in. I bolted after him. My pace wasn’t too bad. Finally, something good coming out of this situation.

 

“That’s it? That’s really all you got?”  The boy in front of me yelled as he sprinted. Those words sent me back to the beginning. Those words… He spoke the words of my father, _verbatim._ A wave of anger hit me, and that’s when the odd things started happening.

 

An aching pain grew from the far corners of my sclera to my bottle green iris. When it reached the center, it became more of a pulling sensation. It was barely manageable. The rhythm of my strides quickened, and I raced through the trees at an almost inhuman speed.

 

I hurtled myself toward Wilson, my anger being the epitome of this power. I grabbed the collar of his shirt, and thanks to inertia, the boy’s body flew forward. A breath of air puffed out of him at the sudden stop. wow, you’re fast! Did ya… Did ya take track or somethin’?” Wilson bent over and placed his hands on his knees, breathing heavily. _I_ however, didn’t feel the slightest bit winded. In fact, I felt invigorated; almost bloodthirsty. _Huh, weird… And the slightest bit unnerving._

 

“Yeah, only for one year in sixth grade.” The blond straightened out, and glanced at me. His eyes met mine, and a crooked grin curled his lip. “What?” I chuckled, but the dark glint of nervousness shone through. “Oh, nothing.” He practically sang, his smirk growing. I’ve never seen him act like that.

 

“ _So,_ I guess it’s your turn to chase me now?” I spoke with levity to rid the air of sour silence. “Jeez, let a guy breathe tag.” The boy spoke the latter words as one, and kicked the joint behind my knee. Out of reflex, my leg wobbled. “Ahg, what the hell? That doesn’t count! I get another chance!” Wilson rolled his amber eyes playfully. “Alright. Go.”

 

The boy dismissed me with the wave of a leathery hand, and I sprang forward. My feet seemed to got on auto pilot, jumping roots and dodging trees effortlessly.

I trotted to a halt as the trees became denser and unfamiliar. “Great. I didn’t plan on waltzing into the Unknown, but here I am.” A low growl at my left side caught my attention. I immediately morphed into a fighting stance. This felt good. _A fight. Just what I was craving._

 

My eyes began to ache again, but I noticed that this time, my sight was… clearer? It seemed almost _too_  clear. It felt like I could see an eye bat coming from miles away. _Okay, that seems like it might be useful._

 

I slowly reached for the switchblade that was tucked in my shoe. My hands gripped firmly to the scratched leather handle, and I made sure not to flick the blade out too fast. The sudden movement might have set the creature off.

 

The animal was one of those shadowy black ones. Its eyes were a searing yellow, along with its teeth. “I haven’t seen one of you in months.” I sneered. More of the same kind stalked up behind it, and before I knew to, I was surrounded in a semicircle of Overlord creatures. “Give me your best shot. I’m fucking ready.”

 

One launched off of the soft ground, and planned to land right on my face. My brows furrowed as a sickening smile crawled up my lips. The knife dove straight into the animal, and I felt the ever so satisfying tear of flesh. I twisted the knife in the animal’s body. It shrieked, appendages flailing until it’s last breath.

 

The carcass slid off of my blade, landing on the ground with a squishy thud. _Nice._ The other creatures arched their backs to show aggression. Their eyes turned to a neon blue, and they all attacked at once.

The next few moments were a blur to me. I punched, kicked, sliced, and gored all in such a quick manner. I didn’t know how I was kicking all of these animal’s asses so efficiently. Usually, I’d slip up on a battle of this scale. Usually, Wilson would be by my side, grounding our opponent’s neck into a powder.

 

However, right now wasn’t usually.

 

My agility was flawless. I didn’t miss any of my shots. My hearing and sight were heightened. I heard the groan of the trees, the foamy growl of the animal about to pounce, and of course, the sweet, sweet sound of defeat and horror that echoed through their last breath.

 

I was the center of a ring of corpses. My chest heaved out and in. Fighting was one of the best cardio I have had. If my clothes weren’t dirty before, they were _definitely_ dirty now. Different colored body fluids covered my shirt and ruined leggings. My eyes trailed downward to rest upon my dripping ruby hands. _God, that felt good._

I looked back up from my hands. A small clearing fell into my sharp view. Curiosity got the best of me, and I began to walk toward it, not caring to step over the carcasses of course.

 

A small while later, a foul smell came to my nose. I quickened my pace, the smell only feeding my anticipation.

 

I sure as hell wasn’t disappointed.

 

I came to the clearing, pale red light filtering in from the thin layer of canopy. God, the smell was potent now, and my eyes stung  along with my nose. Flies buzzed around me, beckoning me closer.

 

Animals have made a habitat out of his remains. Maggots squirmed in the eaten away craters of rotting flesh. An arm lay next to him, half eaten and decaying. I stared for a moment, then a devious grin crawled up my lips.

 

A grin led to a chuckle, and a chuckle led to a corrupt cackle. “This! This is what you fucking deserve!” My laugh grew louder, and equally more horrifying. “HA! You actually thought you would  live! How the hell would I let someone like you live? This is how you were supposed to die! A helpless, starved, **_nothing_ **.”

  
  


 


	6. It’s The Same Day Still. Like Five Seconds After My Last Entry.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OVZIM GSV WIUUVIVXMV YVGDVVM HKZMRHS ZMW OZGRM  
> (HSABTA)

**Part II**

 

**It’s the same day still. Like five seconds after my last entry.**

 

I was thrilled to see this shit dead. He really thought the would survive by himself?

 

How cute.

 

“You are a worthless bastard! You are the reason I’m out here in the first place!” Angry heat rose to my cheeks, and permeated through my being. “Mom would have kicked your sorry ass out of the house ages ago! But no, she had to die in that fucking car crash!” My voice managed to get louder. It was the most acidic, poisonous tone I’ve ever heard.

 

I paused, as if waiting for the rotting corpse to respond. All I got in reply were the constant buzzing of flies, and the thrashing of larvae.

 

“Remember that time you punched me in the stomach for ‘lying’ to you? _”_ I lifted up my shirt, showing bruises and gashes. None of them, however, pertained to the topic. The bruise had  healed summers ago.

 

“I hope they have enough fucking alcohol in hell for you, because when I come down there, I not bringing a case!” My voice was hoarse, and saltwater streamed down my cheeks. All of these things have been inside me for so long, and now, I’m pouring them out on a decaying body.

 

Nice.

 

“Ah there you are! I was wondering where you ran off to. What’s that smell? It smells like someone di-” Wilson padded up from behind, stopping in his tracks. “Oh my god. I-I almost stepped on t-that.” His honey eyes widened considerably, and began to pace backward.

 

“I think I’m gonna puke.” He gagged. I quickly wiped my tears, and put on a smile. “ _This_ fucker is my father, John.” I extended my arm, gesturing to the slimy meat pile. “H-Hey, Mr. Bellator” Wilson waved meekly, running behind a tree to spill his guts out promptly after. “You’re such a _wimp_! Personally, I think the was more disgusting when he wasn’t a zombie.”

 

I folded my arms behind my back, relishing in how painful and slow his death must have been. “I wish I was there to enjoy the show.”

 

After the gurgling and coughing, Wilson appeared from behind the tree, eyes half lidded and chunky yellow-tan liquid on his shirt and the corner of his mouth. “Nice going, Idiot! You threw up all over the place!” I placed my hand on my hip, twirling my folded switchblade with the other one. “I’m sorry that I can’t control my puke.” The boy’s words were slurred. “You should be.” I lunged at him, pointing the folded blade at him. He squeaked, falling into my father’s corpse. Almost.

 

He began to fall face first into the thing, but somehow, stepped backward and fell in the other direction.

 

That kid has some weird talents.

 

He looked absolutely horrified when he gained his balance back. “I almost… Oh my god.” I rolled my eyes. “Get over it! It’s just a rotting body.” He looked at me with the most terrified expression. “Oh, okay. Just a fucking rotting body!”

 

My green eyes rolled into my head, and I strode over to the boy. “Precisely.” I took the only ‘clean’ part of my shirt, the hem, and wiped the stomach contents from the corner of his mouth. “Your pupils look so neat when they do that.” he mumbled to himself, staring at his shoes.

 

“What?” His head snapped up, a blush on his cheeks. “Nothing! Nothing! I said nothing!” I snorted at his pubescent voice. “Quite the voice crack you had there.” “Shut up.”

 

“Can we leave now? Your father is creeping me out.” Wilson picked at his cuticles, itching to leave the clearing. “Fine, just let me ‘pay my respects’ first.” A low chuckle bubbled in my throat as I strode over to the corpse.

 

“See you in hell, _motherfucker_.” A killer smile pulled at my bloody lips, re opening some of the cracks form dehydration.

 

My knife glinted as it flicked open. I gouged it into the left side of his face. Flies billowed away, and little bugs scurried out from under him. I dragged the blade messily down his face, causing the scent of rotting flesh to murder my nose and eyes.

 

I repeated that process of stabbing my knife in the cut, and pulling it down. Once I was happy with the crude gash, I cut the next line.

 

This one was gonna be _real_ fun.

 

I stabbed the knife in the first cut. This time, I pulled the knife diagonally across his face.

 

His cloudy eye split open like a blood bomb, and I heard Wilson convulsing a few feet away. “Oh c’mon! This is fun!” I giggled, not taking my sharpened sight off of the corpse.” I only got the sound of liquid spilling to the forest floor in response.

 

The gash ended at the tip of his nose. I mapped out the next cut, and began to carve away.

 

Finally my masterpiece was complete. I was enticed to mutilate his half eaten face. Just go all blade happy on it, but, no. I had to leave it the way it was.

 

An ‘M’ was crudely carved into his face, passing through both eyes and his nose.

 

Those were fun to stab.

“Marina, can we p-please leave? I don’t feel like throwing up ‘till I bleed.” Wilson sniffled. “Fine.” I sighed, standing up. I wanted to kick him. God that would have been fun. Have my foot crash right through his rib cage.

 

Then I remembered he can’t feel pain because he’s dead. Oh well, it would still be fun.

 

“Hope you’re able to brew your own beer in hell!” I spoke in a rosy tone and bounded over to Wilson. The grimaced. “I am definitely getting cremated.”

 

Wilson jogged in front of me as I trailed behind. I took one last glance at my father. I snickered, and flipped him off as I walked away.

 

“Hey, would you want to come to my house for a change of clothes?” The blond gradually came to a stop. “Are there any dead people in there?” I snorted. “The chances are very slim.”

 

Wilson exhaled a weak chuckle. “Alright.” I sighed, a lopsided frown pulled one corner of my mouth downward. “You shaken up about… Him?” The latter word was tinged with contempt. “A little.” The boy mumbled, rubbing his elbow.

 

My frown morphed to a faint grin as a linked my sweat glittering arm with Wilson’s. “You’re alright! Look, I’ve never told you this, but I take it upon myself to look after you.” My words were surprisingly gentle, and my eyes began to relax their pull. “You’re really great, ya know that?” The blond pulled me closer to him. “All that stuff I said back at the house… I meant it.” I smiled, exposing my ‘fang’. “Nice tooth!” The boy’s tone wasn’t demeaning, it was _genuine._ “R-Really? You like it?” “Yeah! It’s really neat!” He bounced a little at the latter words.  “Thanks.”

 

“So this is the place?” Wilson trotted a few paces behind me. “Yep!” “It looks great for being in the middle of the Apocalypse.”  It was true. None of the windows were broken, and the wooden door was still in tact. “Eh, this is a low traffic area.” I shrugged, shoving the door open.

 

The place was exactly how I left it, blood puddle and all! The triangle had hardened into the floor along with the dried blood around it. Fingerprints were slashed through the figure’s center, dividing it into pieces. _That made him squirm; it creeped ‘em out._

 

I chuckled. “What did ya’ see?” The blond bounced up to me. “Damn, you laugh at odd shit.” I jumped the slightest bit, and glanced behind me. “This was my ‘Good Riddance’ gift to my dad!” I gestured to the caked blood puddle. The boy grimaced. “Oh.”

 

“Let’s get what we came here for, I don’t plan on staying any longer than I have to.”  I sighed, trudging to my room. “Who’s this?” Wilson picked up a tarnished gold picture frame. It was the only thing I really cared about.

 

“That’s my mom and I. Dad was gone at a ‘business trip’, so she decided to have a girl’s week at an amusement park I really wanted to visit.” “She was beautiful.” “Uh huh. She sure was.” My eyes pricked with saltwater.

 

The blond gazed at the picture for a while longer, but I never heard him put the frame back on my dresser.

 

“So, whaddaya like?” I pulled open my closet doors, changing the topic rather abruptly. “ Uh, just a tee shirt and some shorts should do me.” “Arright…” I pulled a heather gray shirt that read _GO BEAVERS_ in thick navy lettering out of my wardrobe, and a pair of baggy cargo shorts that were always a bit too big for me.  

 

“Thanks! Is it okay if I change in there?” He indicated to the closet with the flick of his head. “Yeah, and I’ll change out here if you need anything.” Wilson nodded, and closed the doors while wiggling his eyebrows. “Get dressed, Idiot.”

 

My torn up gray shirt slipped off, and was replaced with a light brown one.  The yoga pants were replaced with another pair of the same kind. I untied my mud caked shoes, and slipped off my socks.

 

They were stained with dried blood of all different colors, and my big toe had bore a hole in it along with my heels. The red line was barely visible anymore.

 

They were thrown aside and replaced with green ones adorned with pink flamingos.

At least when I take my shoes off, I’ll have something cheery to look at.

 

I flipped my hat on my head and was ready to be on my way. Wilson however, was having some difficulties. He hit his head on the shelf next to my wardrobe. “Ugh, maledic refert corpus.” I lifted a brow at the foreign language, “What?” “Oh, uh, just a saying we learned in spanish class…” the boy grunted, hitting his elbow on the door frame.

 

I wasn’t about to argue, I took french all year, how the hell was I supposed to know what spanish sounds like?

 

He flung open the closet door, his golden hair awry and his tan freckled cheeks puffed out in a pouty way.

 

“You’re cute when you’re angry.” I snorted, fixing his greasy hair into place. He huffed in reply. “ I hate closets.” A smile spread across my countenance. “You ready to go?” “Yeah, let me lace up my shoes and I’ll meet you at the door.” He knelt down, messing with his muddy laces.

 

I was in my room’s door frame when something stuck to on my wall caught my eye.  It was a crumpled sticky note. I lifted a sun lightened brow, peeling it off. The handwriting was neat and pretty.

_Have a great day at school!_

_Love, Mom :)_

 

I tucked the note in my pocket.

 

It was the last note my mother left in my lunchbox.

 

“C’mon, Wilson. Let’s get outta here.


	7. I Think I May Have Insomnia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OLEV LU Z OLHG LMV XZM VZG BLF UILN GSV RMHRWV LFG.   
> (HSABTA)

**I May or May not Have Insomnia.**

 

**Yep. I’m Pretty sure I Do. Dammit.**

  
  


Wilson was cuddled up next to me on the love seat. He did that every night, like I was his teddy bear. 

 

I don’t mind. 

 

His legs were entangled with mine, and his arms were wrapped around my waist. I stared at the leaky, cracked ceiling, practically  _ begging  _  for sleep to come. But because it’s an ass, it won’t. 

 

Millions of things were buzzing around in my head. My dad. The Overlord. Monsters. Hunting. My mom. 

 

I never liked to think about my mom. I loved her to pieces, and that was the problem. 

 

Before the accident, I never thought what life would be like without her. For eleven years she was my best friend, my partner in crime, and then she was taken away from me. My only happiness, gone. Just like that.

 

My chest tightened, and saltwater threatened to spill from my glittering green eyes. I sniffed, and turned to Wilson, wrapping my arms around him tight.

 

I never wanted to let him go. He led me back to my little patch of happiness. Even if it was a tiny sliver, it was still there. The boy showed me that life can go on without my mom, and it doesn’t have to be miserable. 

 

My eyes squeezed shut, and I held the boy close to me, nuzzling into the crook of his neck. Having him here made me feel safe…  _ Loved.  _ He looked up to me, and I to him. We were an unstoppable team of bad ass Apocalypse warriors! Sure, we had our flaws, but our strengths balanced them out. As much as I’d love to tell everyone that I’m a perfectly normal and sane human, I’m not. The only thing keeping me from growing into a ruthless killing machine is the guy sleeping next to me. 

 

After a few hours of reorganizing my thoughts and shoving them back into their rightful manila folders, I finally grabbed a hold of sleep. My dream was… Well, it was quite fucked up. 

 

_ The forest was gray scale. A small ledge jutted out across the lake, and the view was amazing. A woman had a picnic set for two spread out on a checkered blanket, and she sadly nibbled at a BLT. She must have heard me coming, because she looked up from her daze.  _

 

_ The sandwich fell onto the plate with silent clatter. Her eyes grew wide, and tears began to trickle from her beautiful green eyes.  _

 

_ She had eyes like mine; a deep green with a hint of blue. Her hair was bobbed and a chocolate color.  _

 

_ It took me a minute to process who she was. My brows furrowed, and I stared at the ground. A golden glint caught my eye, and I trotted toward it.  _

 

_ It was the same picture I had in my room, only the frame was dirtied, and the glass was broken.  _

 

_ The woman on the picnic blanket was my mother.  _

 

_ A smile was on my face in a flash, and I ran to her. My hat tumbled from my head as I  jumped into her open arms, and she held me tight, stroking my knotted hair. “I missed you.” My voice was shaky and quiet. “I missed you too, baby.”  _

 

_ We sat in silence for a moment, and her grip on me began to loosen. “I’m so proud of you for taking matters into your own hands and leaving your father. I wish I could have done  it that easily.” The latter sentence was soaking with regret. “Don’t worry, Mom. I’m safe now.” I showed a sad smile, and hugged her again.  _

 

_ The sun was set now, and the stars began to poke through the navy sky. We talked about useless things. Memories, catching up. I happily bit into the sandwich she made for me. “So I made a friend! His name is-” The grin on my face fell when I saw a big pair of yellow eyes stalk toward us. “Get behind me!” My mother’s eyes filled with terror as she tried to jump behind me.  _

 

_ Tried.  _

 

_ The glowing eyes belonged to a shadowy black bear, and his giant paws and mouth were dripping with blood. It grabbed her by the throat, its claws ripping through and sticking out on the other side. A gurgled scream came from her mouth, blood bubbling up and spilling from her lips. My eyes pulled and my sight sharpened. “Save yourself, Marina!” I could barely understand her. “NO!”  _

 

_ I barreled toward the bear, my speed considerably faster than a human’s.  My hands patted around my clothes for my knife, but my efforts were in vain.  _

 

_ I licked my lips, and felt my fang.  _

 

_ A sick feeling tore at my stomach as I hurtled at the bear’s face. My mother’s breathing was slowing, and her thin lips were coated in a brilliant scarlet.  _

 

_ I bit down on the bear’s nose, making sure to use the fanged side of my mouth. The feeling of my tooth slicing the animal’s nose open was new, and felt the slightest bit unsettling. The bear roared, pulling its claws from my mother’s throat. It grabbed me by the waist, and threw me to the ground, knocking the wind out of me.  _

 

_ I glanced around. My mother was lying a couple yards away, her chest heaving and her breath bubbly and wheezing.  _

 

_ “Avenge me, Marina! Avenge us!”  _

 

_ The bear lumbered to me, and bit my left leg. I screamed as it ripped my calf from the bone.  _

 

_ My ears rang, and I writhed about on the ground like the maggots on my dad’s corpse. The bear swallowed its first mouthful, and its eyes flashed red.  _

 

_ Powerful jaws snapped around my waist, and indescribable pain shocked my mind.  _

_ The last thing I heard was the crack of my pelvis being broken off of my spine.  _

 

I woke up screaming. 

 

Wilson jumped awake, immediately knowing what happened. “Marina! It’s okay, you’re safe. Shh, everything’s okay!” He lifted my upper body slightly, and engulfed me in a powerful embrace. “My Mother! She’s gone! I’m dead!” My voice was gruff and cracking. “No, you’re very much alive, and you are okay. Nothing is going to hurt you.” 

 

At this point, words couldn’t come from my mouth. Sobs filled the small ground floor, and the blond held me closer, cooing in my ear. “Sssh, you are the Warrior, nothing will defeat you. Nothing  _ can  _ defeat you.”

 

“S-She want-ted me to avenge h-her.” Small hiccups disrupted my speech. “And you will. You will save this town. Listen, everything you have done so far has been fantastic. Your mom is looking after you. Under her care, you will always be safe.” He held my cheeks, staring into my puffy eyes. “W-What about you?” “I… I can’t say the same for myself.” Fear flashed in my eyes for a moment, but soon dissipated. I held the boy tight, shoulders shaking. He drew circles on my back and began to hum. It sounded soothing, but the melody itself felt vintage; old jazz like. Hm. 

 

After ten minutes or so, and about a jazz album or two, I began to calm down. “You have a beautiful voice, you know.” The blond chuckled. “Thanks, I’ve had a lot of time to practice. Oh, and, I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go out hunting today. I’m guessing that nightmare took place in the woods?” “Mmhm.” “Well, then how’s about we lounge around this place for a couple days, huh? Would you like that?” I nodded. “Alrighty, then!” 

 

Wilson laid me back down. He averted his eyes awkwardly, and placed a small kiss on my forehead. “What was that?” I giggled quietly. “A, uh… a kiss. Is that bad? I’m sorry, Ishouldn’thavedonethat. Sorry, uhh, sorry…” 

 

His cheeks and ears turned bright red and he itched the back of his neck. “It’s okay, I liked it.” His honey eyes lit up. “Really? Ya liked it? Well, I’ll make sure to do it more often! Oh,god, sorry that was weird. I’m weird. Sorry.” I laughed, and pulled him into a hug. “No you’re not! In all realness though, thank you. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” The boy tensed at that. “Y-You’re, heh, you’re welcome.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marina protects Wilson, now it's his turn to hold up his end of the bargain.


	8. I'm Trying to Piece My Sanity Back together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> QLRM NV!

**I’m Trying to Piece My Sanity Back Together**

 

**I Have a Feeling It’s Been Gone For a While, Though.**

 

The two of us sat on the couch, dry heat flowing through the gaps broken into the windows. My mind was blank.  I felt my hands drift to my waist, and I flinched subconsciously. The pain in the dream… It felt so _real._

 

“Uh, Wilson?” “Yeah?” The boy’s sunny eyes lifted from the ground to me. “You uh, really don’t have to stay here, it’s okay if you want to go hunting or something.” I weakly laughed. “Aw, you think you’d be okay in your own?” He snickered. My unruly brows pushed together for a moment. That kind of behavior was out of the ordinary for him.

 

“I mean, I’m here to help you! I would be all worried if you had another nightmare and I wasn’t there with you.” The blond slung a sun-leathered arm around me. “You sure?” A smile crept up my lips. “Positive.”

 

He threw his other arm around me in attempt of hugging me, but it turned out to be more of an ‘I’m-hanging-on-to-you-for-dear-life’ kind of thing. “Hey, ya know what always cheers me up? A good game of Would You Rather!” Wilson let go of me, arms splaying out to punctuate the sentence.  “That sounds good, beats staring at the kitchen all day!”

 

We turned our bodies to face each other, and we both sat indian style on the love seat. Wilson was first to come up with a question.  

 

“Okay, would you rather… hm… Oh! Have your eyes gouged out with knives _or_ have your fingernails ripped out one by one?” The boy finished with a toothy smile. “Oh, um, I guess I’d rather get my fingernails ripped out? I don’t know, those are both _horrible_ choices.” “I know, right?” Wilson seemed a bit _too_ into this. The way he mixed such an excited tone with the excruciating choices was quite odd.

 

“Okay, my turn now. Would you rather be disemboweled and _then_ have your organs shoved back in place or, uh… have your toes cut off...One at a time?” The boy grimaced, then giggled. “Nice choices! Ugh, this is a toughie! Probably my toes.” He bounced in his seat, making his greasy sun bleached hair bounce with him.

 

“Would you rather be eaten alive by a pack of wolves or... burn in a barrel of acid?” Wilson yawned, and placed his cheek in his palm. The sun was setting, casting hues of orange and green across the floor. “Hm, I dunno, maybe the acid? You’d die quicker I guess.” I yawned, and the tail end of it morphed into a giggle. “Guess we've been spending a ton of time together, huh?” The blond perked up a bit at the question. “Because we yawned together? Yeah, I guess so.”

 

He smiled, and leaned against me, a happy sigh swirling form his nose. “You’re a lot less… awkward than this morning.” He huffed. “I was frazzled, Idiot! I don’t know about you, but if I was woken up to someone screaming, I wouldn’t be all chill n’ shit about it!” “Okay, okay! No need to get all defensive.”

  


“Why don’t we call it a night? A whole day of doing nothings’ got me beat.” I shrugged the blond off of me, and rose from the couch to our emergency snack pile. It was entirely made out of packaged, non perishable foods, like canned soup, granola bars, things of that nature.

 

I grabbed two energy bars. One was for Wilson, of course. We’d promised early on that we wouldn't ‘steal’ extra food from the pile. Supplies was limited, and personally, I didn’t want to get on his bad side. I mean, if he could rip a head off of some man eating lizard, only hell knows what he’d do to me.

 

But I don't like to think about that. He’d never do anything to hurt me.

 

“Here.” I snickered, throwing the bar. The blond was cuddled up with himself, ready to sleep. The bar hit his head, and lamely fell next to him. “Ouch.” He lifted his sun bleached head, and slowly grabbed the food item. “You’re supposed to catch it, dumbass!” He giggled. “I’m just tired!” He whined, splaying out dramatically.  “You’re such a baby! Do you want me to tuck you in? Sing you a lullaby?” Wilson stuck his tongue out, and scootched over to make room for me.

 

“Just shut up and lay with me.” He demanded. I could tell he was trying his hardest to sound pouty, but the ruby color of his cheeks gave it away. “Do I _have_ to?” “Yes.” I snorted at the response, and made myself comfortable. I felt warm arms wrap around my middle. “You’re a really comfy pillow.” A smushed smile pressed against my back. “Thanks, Buddy. You’re a good blanket.

 

_I was surrounded in inky black. The noises were muffled, like I was under water or something. I blinked a few times, and my eyes began to pull. Even with heightened vision, nothing was visible. The muffled noises became slightly more audible. They sounded like… voices? I swam upward, only to be pulled back down rather gruffly._

 

_The rattling of the chains were deafening among the minimal sound. I was tethered to the ground thousands of feet below me… Well, I assumed the ground was a good distance away, because the chains’ neon blue glow dissipated into the blackness. I yanked on the chains, the voices becoming more and more understandable._

 

_Finally, I recognised one. It was my mother. She sounded echoey, but I could still understand her. “ Marina! Can you hear me?” I yelled back a ‘yes!’. Well, at least tried to._

 

_No matter how loud I attempted to scream, I couldn’t. My voice wasn’t working. “Honey, listen to me. That dream you had last night, that wasn’t actually me. That was Cipher. He was playing with your mind; trying to see how much you could take! Please, don’t fight, that’s the wor-” She was cut off by a male voice._

 

 _I’ve never heard this voice before. “Don’t listen to her, she’s trying to kill you. If you don’t fight, If you don’t_ **_kill_ ** _, you won’t survive… and I’ll make sure of it.” My eyes widened in horror at the man’s sentence, and immediately began to yank on the chains. Wherever I was, I needed to get the hell out of it._

 

_That was a bad Idea. the thick cuffs around my limbs heated up. Their glow melted from blue to an orange-yellow. “The more you struggle, the hotter the shackles get, Darling!” I ignored the man’s warning, and kept up my relentless pulling. The color flashed to red, and searing pain shocked my wrists and ankles. A silent scream tore out of my throat. “Why are you doing this to her, Cipher? She’s just a-” “Shut up! You’re lying to her. Marina, this isn’t your mother. She’s an imposter, trying to get you killed. Listen to me. The only way out of this is to forget humanity.”_

 

 _This ‘Cipher’ guy’s reasoning gnawed at my conscious. I stopped resisting, and the handcuffs eventually cooled down. Pain pulsed around the newly formed wounds. That would most definitely leave a mark. “Marina don’t listen to him! He’s just-” “It seems like you’re just_ **_itching_ ** _for a chance to get banned from existence. Is that what you want? Because I would_ **_gladly_ ** _take part in making that possible. Cipher’s voice synthesized to show emphasis on his words. After that, the void went eerily quiet._

 

_“Good, you’ve finally decided to cooperate. “Now it’s your turn to talk with me!” Cipher snapped his fingers, and my breath became audible._

 

 _“You understand that there isn't a way out of doing what I say, yes?” I stammered, lost for words. “Y-Yes, Sir.” A dark chuckle crept through the dark. “Ooh, using ‘manners’ are we? You’re starting off on the right foot, kid! First off, this isn’t the last you’ll hear of me. I like you. You’re slightly more interesting than the rest of these mortal idiots. Second! I’ve realized you don’t have the slightest inkling of who I am, and I’d like to keep it that way. It’ll save you a couple headaches. Third, think too much! It’ll drive you closer to your inevitable insanity, which will do you a ton good in this place. Lastly,_ **_trust no one._ ** _Well, with the exception of your little friend there. He knows more than you think._

 

 _But that’s beside the point! Every human is a liar. All their screams, fear,_ **_it’s all fake._ ** _The only things they give a shit about is reverting back to their old, boring lives. I can’t comprehend that! Why would anyone want to leave a party that never ends?” Anyway, I have a_ **_proposal_ ** _for you._

 

_Join me, and help me liberate this dimension, and in turn, I will give you a life of luxury. Tables are always teeming with food and drink, and the beds are dressed with sheets of silk. I don’t know about you, but I’d definitely choose that over a love seat.”_

 

_How did he know where I was staying?_

 

_“So waddaya say, Kiddo? Is this a deal? A black hand reached out to me. The fingernails were claws, filed to a razor sharp point. The shackles fell away from my limbs, leaving me to float independently. A smile grew on my face as the thought of being in a comfy bed with a full stomach._

 

_“Deal.”_


	9. Change.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DAER YLLUFERAC, SDIK!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a pretty iffy scene at the end. I tried not to get too in depth in it. Just a warning.

**Huh… I Made A Deal With The Devil**

 

**Wow.**

 

The crimson morning sunlight impaled my emerald eyes as they cracked open. “Ughh.” Wilson was beside me, and turned at the sound of my voice. “Good Mo-” My brows furrowed, and a chill spiked through my spine.  _ What did he see? Is something wrong with me?  _ “What?” My voice was oddly cold. Guess that… Dream really spooked me. “Uh, N-nothing. Nothing at all!” He giggled. Okay,  _ now  _ things were getting weird. 

 

“I’m, uh, gonna go to the bathroom.” As I sat up, the boy sprang in front of me. “No! You can’t. It’s, uh… It’s not working.” I exhaled a nervous snort. “It hasn’t been working since we lived here.” I shoved him out of the way. “Marina! I said it isn’t  **_working_ ** , okay?” 

 

His tone made me stop dead in my tracks. 

He’s hiding something. 

 

My bottle green eyes widened. “H-Hey, that’s okay. Didn’t need to need to get in there that bad. I’ll live with matted hair.”  Wilson stepped back a little. He looked like he was processing everything that just happened. Then, he bit his lip, and his body tensed with pent up excitement. I could have sworn he had more than one canine tooth… A whole mouthful of them? 

 

“Hoc est! At tandem fiat!” I narrowed my eyes. “That doesn’t sound like Spanish.” Wilson chuckled. “Oh, it is! Just an older version, that’s all. Why don’t we go hunting? I’m ready to kill stuff!” The boy punched the air, like it was his opponent in a boxing ring.” A sense of calm washed over me. Wilson was finally acting like normal.  **“** Sure.” I grabbed my knife off of the coffee table, and Wilson trailed behind as we stepped into hell on earth.

 

“I feel like splitting up today. Ya know, spending some ‘me’ time.” I blinked. “You sure? You always want to hunt with me.” Nevermind what I said. Something  _ is  _ up with this kid. “Positively positive! I promise I’ll be careful, okay?” He hugged me for a long moment. It felt so sincere. He made it seem like this was my last time seeing him.

 

I know he wouldn’t just up and ditch me like that, though. 

 

“Okay, and no getting killed, alright?” I joked, shoving him in the shoulder. “No promises!” He ran in the other direction, a weirdness bubble floating past him. How come nothing ever attacked him? It was… Odd. 

I felt like a cat as I stalked through the town. My deep green eyes could see  _ everything _ . Nothing was out of my sight. I was just about to close in on a rat, when someone caught my eye. 

 

“Wendy!”

 

The redhead looked in my direction, but didn’t seem to see me. I growled at the rat, and it scurried away submissively. “Wendy! It’s Me, Marina!” I sprinted toward the girl, trees flying past. 

 

I arrived  _ way  _ sooner than expected, and trotted up to her. “Hey! I haven’t seen you in forever! How’s things been going?” It felt great to see her again. We used to talk for hours when she got off of work. Those were the good old days…

 

“Hey, Mari...na…”  Wendy’s voice lowered, and her upper lip tugged into a menacing grimace. She pulled her axe from its resting place in the ground. She stalked forward. I flicked my knife out.  I would only use it for self defence. 

 

“What’s wrong?” I smiled nervously. The fire in her eyes only grew. “What the hell have they done to you? What are you?” Her words were sharper than her axe. “What do you me-” Wendy tackled me before I could finish my sentence, and pinned me to the ground with the axe to my throat. 

 

“You’ve become one of them, haven’t you?” She laughed coldly. I, however, was  _ horribly  _ confused. What did she see in me? 

 

“To be totally honest, I never thought you’d stoop to this level.” She pressed the axe against my throat with the slightest bit more force. “Let me guess. You thought you’d get off easy by joining the Overlord, huh?” Her words killed me inside, but another side of me was grinning.  _ Oh, she didn’t know what she just walked into.  _

 

I found myself with a killer smirk swirled on the crook of my mouth. 

 

My knee slammed into her stomach, and held my knife up to her neck. “And that’s a problem?” I smiled as fear replaced her anger. 

 

My neck burned, and a drop of crimson splattered onto the redhead’s clothing. The sight of it fueled me in an odd way. 

 

“Be careful who you talk to, Corduroy. Ya never know when you’ll meet your match.” Her eyes welled with betrayal and fear. I blinked, knocking some empathy into me.  I grabbed her left arm, and slashed a vertical cut from her wrist to her elbow. She hissed in pain. “Y-You’re lucky you’re getting away with only that.” I let her go, and she immediately ran in the other direction. 

 

_ What the hell did I just do? What was that? _ I pulled the hat from my head to run a hand through my greasy hair. I left for the forest. It was only a few yards away, but my legs felt heavy with regret. My breathing became heavy. My eyes burned with tears. My knife came into my blurry view, and the tip was coated in red. 

 

I threw the blade down, the tip landing in the soft dirt. The hat fluttered from my hand. “What the hell is  _ wrong _ with me?” I screamed, grabbing the ends of my hair. By now, my sight was blurred by the constant flow of tears. A sob tore through my throat. “I… I almost killed someone.” I whispered the words, not wanting to confirm the truth. “I almost fucking  _ killed  _ someone! I’m a monster!” I hit my back on a tree, and slid down to its base. 

 

I felt weak. Helpless. My arms were laid on top of my knees, and my forehead rested behind them. 

 

For the first time, I didn’t cry because I was angry. I cried out of pure anguish. 

 

“Oh  _ please _ . You’re crying over  _ that _ ?” A familiar voice rang in my head. “B-Bill?” “Right on the money, Kid! Did you pay any attention to what I told you last night?” I nodded. “If I don’t fight, don’t kill, I won’t survive.” “ There ya go! And you’re gonna  tell me you didn’t  **_enjoy_ ** that? Lyin’ to yourself isn’t a good thing, Kiddo.” I wiped my tears. “I-I didn’t, though.” “Oh come  _ on _ ! Tell me you didn’t smile. Tell me you weren't  **_anticipating_ ** Ice’s death! Oh, you wanted to jam that knife into her  _ so  _ badly!” Bill’s voice in my head gave me goosebumps, and I felt the slightest grin twinge my lips. 

 

“There you go! See, I told you. You like the invigoration it gives you! What I’m tryin’ to get at here is, let your stupid human survival instincts override your empathy. Also, you  _ are  _ a monster. In my book, that’s a  _ huge  _ compliment.” 

 

I lifted an untamed brow. “Bill?” No response. “Huh, I guess he left.” I took a deep breath to ease my nerves, and dislodged my knife from the ground. 

 

My hat was back on my head, and I stepped out of the woods. I reached up to touch my neck to see how deep it was. 

 

But there wasn’t a cut there. 

 

“What?” I ran my hand over my neck again, and there was no sign of a wound. 

 

My eyes kept going in and out of focus. Come to think of it, My sight was really good today. What? 

 

Pain surged through the side of my forehead. “Ah! What the hell?” Bill’s laugh rang through my ears. The volume of the noise made me crumble to the ground.  “TEG YDAER, DIK! RUOY EFIL SI TUOBA OT EGNAHC!” I grit my teeth.  _ What did he say?  _

 

Just as the pain and the cackle subsided in my head, I heard a blood curtling scream. 

 

**Wilson.**

 

**“MARINA!”**

 

My heart sank, and my blood turned to ice as I ran in the direction of the cry. I didn’t care if any monsters saw me. I didn’t care if this was a trap. I needed to know if Wilson was okay. 

 

My eyes pulled as I ran.  _ I’m coming I’m coming I’mcomingI’momingI’mcoming _

 

I heard a roar, and an excruciating scream follow after. I faltered, but kept sprinting in the direction of the sound. I had to get there. I had to save him. 

  
  


_ “Okay, and no getting killed, alright?” I joked, shoving him in the shoulder. “No promises!” _

 

More screaming filled my ears. My heart flooded with dread. I can’t save this kid. I turned the corner into building ruins. My heart sank. 

 

It was a shadowy black creature, and resembled the body structure of a beast I’ve seen in the woods with Dipper. It was a bear with multiple heads and arms. This beast however, was twice the size of the one we encountered. Its yellow eyes were almost neon, and it was  _ covered  _ in blood. 

 

Wilson lay helpless on the ground, claws dug deep into his stomach. The shadow bear roared, and began to tug on his leg. Shrill screams pierced the air as the bear’s black jaws ripped through the boy’s flesh and bone. 

 

I was petrified, but I needed to do something. I flicked my knife my knife out. This was it. 

 

I slammed the blade into the beast and… It went right through it. 

 

For a moment, the Shadow bear stopped eating Wilson alive. It turned all of its heads to look at me. All it did was huff, and turn back to its meal. 

 

There was nothing I could do.

 

I watched Wilson’s torment. The bear ripped off his leg, and swallowed it down with the horrible noise of crushing bone.  Wilson was barely recognisable. His whole body was soaked in red, and his cries became weaker and weaker. “M-Marina. S-Save yourself, a-and forg-get about me…” A weak smile tugged at his lips as the bear yanked on his arm. “I-I loved-d you, W-Warrior. A-Always h… h a v e.” His face deadpanned, and whatever was left of his chest heaved out its last exhale. Tears poured from my eyes. This time with sadness and anger. “What the hell have you done?” I screamed at the Shadow bear. It kept tugging on his arm, until eventually the joint popped out of the socket. 

 

“Fuck off! Haven’t you done enough?” My voice seemed to lower, and my eyes burned. My hands started to feel warm too. The beast looked up at me, and what once used to be indifference morphed into submissiveness, and it faded away. 

 

I ran to Wilson’s body. As I knelt down by him, and a golden light appeared above him. It swirled in a ball for a moment, and then seemed to evaporate.  I leaned over the body, not caring if my shirt got soaked in blood. “I loved you too, Buddy.” I smiled, letting out a sob. I caressed his head, and kissed his slashed lips. “I’m gonna miss you.” 

 

I stayed with the body for a while longer. I felt I had to leave now. “Here, you always seemed to like this.” I took the hat off my head, and placed it on his. I stood. “G-Goodbye, Wilson Chiffer.”

 

When I turned away, I couldn’t keep myself together. I screamed, I wept. There was no purpose for me anymore. 

 

I walked all the way across town. I began to hyperventilate. This was too much for me to handle.  _ Did he know something? Was this why he was acting weird all day? Is this why he wanted to hunt alone? I’m overthinking things.  _ My feet led me to an auto yard of some sort, mostly because I couldn’t control where they were going. The sounds around me became faded and echoey, and my limbs felt like they were made of metal. 

 

Without notice, my knees buckled, and I fell to the ground. I remember feeling the sharp pain of my blade impaling my other arm. That didn’t matter right now, though. All that I cared about was the sweet, cold blackness behind my eyelids, and hoping nobody would find me.


	10. My Dreams of Death Are Crushed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> UEPHPEHU WKDW GHDO ZH PDGH

**My Dreams of Death Are Crushed**

 

**… And I’ve Been A Wanted Criminal. That’s New.**

 

I was lifted from unconsciousness by a prodding feeling. At first, I thought it was Wilson… But then I remembered. _Oh._

 

“Oh my, this is disgustin’” A young voice piped. My hearing was still echoey, but it was ebbing. “She looks like roadkill.” I mustered enough strength to groan and move a little. That’s when my nose perked up.

 

The smell of blood made me cringe. I forced my eyes to crack open, and I could understand why the smell was so potent. My left side was _coated_ in the stuff. “Ooh, she’s actually alive! Didn’t expect that.” The voice came from someone leaning over me. I looked up, and he seemed vaguely familiar.

 

“... the hell are you?” I lifted my cheek from the ground, sticky webs of drying blood breaking from it. “Good morinin’ to you too.”

 

As I attempted to sit up, I realized that something was in my right hand. “Huh?” I pulled at it, and a sharp pain ripped at my left forearm.

 

When my eyes focused, I saw that my knife sliced right through my arm. It entered on one side, and the tip poked out on the other. Gooey blood caked around the handle, gluing it in place.

 

I tried to pull it out, but all that I was rewarded with was more searing pain. At this point, it really didn’t matter to me that I couldn’t dislodge the blade from my arm. At this point, nothing really mattered to me anymore. Wilson was dead, and it was my fault for not arriving in time to save him.

 

I pushed myself upright, my left arm screaming, head light, and my clothes sticking to me. “I _said_ who the hell are you?” He backed up, waving his little hands. “Don’t get mad at me, Darlin! ‘Was just makin’ cure you were okay.” “You still haven’t answered my question, Idiot.” I was even shocked by how sharp my growl was.

 

“I’m Gideon, and I’m surprised that you haven’t figured that out yet.”  My glare hardened when I remembered seeing this little shit on the news. “Aren’t you supposed to be in jail?” “Uh… Yeah. But, Gravity Falls is under his control now! So I was released!” He spoke like having the Overlord as ruler excused him of his weird ass crimes.

 

“You do realize there’s a knife in your arm?” Gideon cringed at the sentence. I took another look at it, this time analysing my situation. I burst out laughing a horrible cackle.

 

“You think that’s what I’m worried about right now? Ha! I just watched my friend get torn to literal pieces, goddammit! A fucking knife is the least of my worries, kid!” My stomach ached from laughing, and the little white haired freak seemed alarmed by my odd reaction. “His plan _did_ work, this lady is _senile._ ”

 

My cackling died down soon after I heard him say that. “Who’s plan? Did someone **_plan_ ** this?” My palms heated up, and my eyes pulled. Gideon looked horrified. “N-No! Nobody p-planed anything. But, I came h-here to arrest you under the authorities of Bi… I mean the Overlord.”

 

The boy stepped back, and snapped his fingers. Burly men crawled out from the setting sun’s shadows, and whipped my hands behind my back to handcuff them. “What the hell? I have a goddamn **_knife_ ** stuck in my arm!” My hands felt hotter. “Woah, what the?”

 

A man secured the handcuffs, and staggered backward toward Gideon. “Her hands… They were-” Gideon cut him off by kicking him behind his knee. Something weird was going on.

 

“What?”  My eyes pulled further, making my sight clear. Gideon looked mortified. “N-Nothing, just get in a car.” I rolled my eyes, and the warmth in my hands subsided.

 

Standing up and walking was an adventure in itself, but I made it to one of Gideon’s cars in his little gang. None of them talked to me as they drove, in fact, they made me stay in the back of their truck like I was cargo. Whatever I did, I scared these people really well.

 

While they were driving me, I used this time to reflect on what I’ve done since Weirdmageddon. _Before, I was a quiet, good little girl. Now, I’m getting arrested for hell knows what._ A crooked smile and a chuckle puffed out of me. I felt like a sack of potatoes in the back of that truck, slumped over and all, but I had a nervous knot in my stomach. I was headed to the Fearamind, to finally meet the Overlord.

 

I thought about what they’d do to me. An angry smirk cracked on my half-bloodied lips. What did I even do to get arrested? What _scam_ were they pulling?

 

 _Bill?_ I thought. I needed someone to talk to, and this voice in my head was the only one who would listen.

 

No response. _Great, now even he won’t listen to me._

 

“We’re here, Gideon.” A man’s voice piped. I looked around. We were on a plateau of sorts, with the Fearamid looming above us. “What did he tell you to do with her?” The boy opened the car door. “I’ll handle it. Stay in the car, we’ll want to haul our butts outta here soon.”

 

That conversation made me the slightest bit nervous. Anything, and I mean _anything_ could happen to me. All I could do was sit there and hope for the best.

 

“Get up.” The boy was trying his hardest to sound tough, but the fear he had of me shone through. I don’t know why he was afraid of me, and it was starting to bother me. Why doesn’t anyone tell me?

 

I hopped off of the tailgate, knife still in my arm and shackles still on my wrist. “Sit.” I reluctantly did as the boy told me, but then noticed something by the rear wheel of the truck.

 

It looked like a cornucopia, but I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t have arrested me just to have some thanksgiving dinner. Gideon picked the thing up gently, seeming extremely nervous. He put his lips on the ‘tail’ of the object, and out came a conch shell type noise. Immediately, eye bats flew from the city to where we were. Gideon fled for the truck, and they were out of sight in no time.

 

Seeing these little bastards fly after me while I was helpless gave me a feeling I haven’t felt in a while: Fear. They reminded me that I _wasn’t_ safe. They reminded me of that lady that turned to stone right in front of me.

 

Before I knew it, I was surrounded by these things, but none of them were even attempting to petrify me. They were just getting… Closer. One snaked its leathery wing under me, and scooped me up into the air. “What the hell are you-” The bats kept elevating me higher, until I reached the doorstep of the Fearamid.

 

_Shit._

 

Despite the caring nature the creatures had on my ride up here, they bumped me off their wings, only for me to slam my face into the castle’s doors. “Gee, thanks for the fucking bruise.” I rubbed my now aching head, and the creatures flew back into the city.

 

My pain subsided, and I took a moment to observe the massive doors in front of me. They looked the same as the rest of the pyramid’s exterior, and were made of an odd material. It looked and felt like the polished brick, but seemed as easy to push open as wood. I felt like a toddler standing next to them.

 

I laid my right hand on the door. _This is it. You are at the one place you feared the most._ I took a good look at my surroundings. For all I know, this might be the last time I see it. My heart was pounding in my ears. My palms were sweaty.

 

_Here goes nothing._


	11. I’m Held Hostage In The Headquarters of Hell.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bill has a new 'pet'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jeez, guys! I haven't updated here in months! I apologize for that, I was going through a really tough writer's block, and I redid this chapter numerous times. Sorry that this isn't a super long 'I'm sorry I haven't been here in ages' update. I'd rather put out content that I enjoyed writhing rather than something that was forced. Thanks and enjoy!   
> -Syntha

**I’m Held Hostage In The Headquarters of Hell.**

 

**At Least I Won’t Starve…   HSZWLD DLNZM (HSABTA)**

 

My palms pressed against the doors, and they slowly opened to an immaculate throne room. “Holy hell.” I didn’t want to raise my voice above a whisper. The last thing I needed was a hungry monster chasing after me. Were there even monsters to worry about now? Would things be different up here?  

 

“There you are! I was wondering when you’d build up the courage to see me! Also, take your shoes off, they’re the grossest things I’ve seen in a while, and believe me. I’ve been around.” The booming voice made me nearly jump out of my skin. There sat, on a cement throne… A man that seemed to be  _ extremely  _ familiar.  _ That couldn’t be possible, I’d never seen this guy befor in my life!  _ “Are you really that dumb, kid?” The man sighed. “I guess I’ll just have to spell it out for ya.” 

 

“Come closer, I don’t want to yell across the room the whole time!”  I furrowed my brows. The beginning signs of annoyance were poking through my deadpan countenance. My eyes drifted to me feet as I stepped closer. I didn’t want to see the Overlord. The sight of him would tip my anger over the edge. 

 

“Look at me! I didn’t have you come here just to look at the floor!” My body was reluctant to comply to the order, but I lifted my head. 

 

The Overlord was definitely… Something. He had a blond undercut, the buzzed portion black. He had a tanned, freckled countenance, resembling the boy I knew. A triangular patch floated close to his right eye. I thought it was fascinating how there wasn’t a string attached to it. His good eye was a golden color, much like Wilson’s but brighter. His clothes consisted of a yellow waistcoat that split in the tail,  with a white button down underneath. The black pants he wore seemed to merge with his boots.  “You look familiar…” 

 

The man sighed, and rubbed his temples. “Guess my ‘death’ turned your brain to mush.” To my surprise, the Overlord floated down from his… Throne, and stood in front of me. This guy must have been at _ least _ seven feet tall. 

 

“You don’t know me, do ya?” His poisonous smile was too big for his face. “No.”  He chuckled. “How about now?” The man disappeared. “I was talkin’ to you for a while. It hurts that you didn’t recognize my voice!” My eyes widened. “Bill?” A devious laugh sounded in my head. “Yours Truly!” 

 

A finger snap sounded, and he materialized in front of me once more. “How about  _ now _ ?” His body melted into a smaller form. “Y-You were…” I couldn’t say the words. “I thought Wilson died.” Wilson-Bill cackled.  “‘Wilson’ never existed! There was never a  _ ‘Wilson Chiffer’  _ in this excuse of a dimension! I used your trust against you!”

 

The boy figure grinned a grin way too big for his face, and melted back to his original form. “You should be thanking me.” The demon admired his gloves. I clenched my grimy fists. What the  _ hell  _ did I have to thank him for. “What?” I growled. I didn’t care that I was in the presence of a being that could literally disintegrate me, my anger overrides my judgement. “Thank you? For what?” I gritted my teeth and Bill sauntered to me. His gloved hand grabbed my cheeks with a painful force.

 

“For saving your sorry ass from getting torn to bloody pieces! Without my help, you’d have the same fate as your old man.” With a wave of his other hand, a hologram flashed, the half eaten, liquefying carcass slowly seeping into the ground. My  _ M _ was hacked into his face, the blood from his eyes leaving blackish- red chunks in the craters of  his mutated features. 

 

“You wouldn't want that,  **_would you_ ** ? Because that can be arranged.” My anger took a step back for fear to take its place. I shook my head. “Good, we’re getting somewhere.” The demon threw me to the floor. I landed on my back, knocking the wind out of me. I coughed as he regained his composure. “I also made some… modifications to your code.” I raised a brow. I had a feeling these little ‘modifications’ were a hell of a lot bigger than they sounded. “You’ll understand when you look at yourself.” 

 

“ Also, I’m not keeping you for my entertainment, ya know. I have big plans for you.” The man spoke, chuckling to himself. “But being the most generous and courteous host you’ll  _ ever  _ come across, I’ll let you get used to your new home.” He spoke to me with as much respect as a dog. Then again, that’s probably all I was to him. I stood up, every muscle in my body screaming.

 

“Umbra Mulierem!” At his call, a neon purple eye blinked awake in one of the hallway’s shadows. She stepped forward, her body pitch black. She was made of the shadows. “She’ll show you to your room, get you fitted for clothes, all that exciting shit.” As she arrived to my side, she bowed to Bill. Her form was slim all around. She had to be a servant of sorts. She began to walk toward a hall, and I followed close behind.  

 

It was really easy to get lost in there. Beams jutted from the floor in no particular order. There were staircases that lead to nowhere, simply dissipating into fragments of  brick. The ceilings fluctuated dramatically in height, some vaulted and some barely above my head. Eyes were scraped into the black bricks, a technicolor glow radiating from them.

 

To test an inquiry that popped into my head, I scratched the floor with my knife. The once black brick had a multicolored strike in it, proving that the brick was only black on the surface. That explains the wall eyes. 

 

The hall’s color palette would change every so often. Sometimes, it would be cool colors. Others would be oranges and reds, giving off a much more intimidating atmosphere in my opinion. 

 

Finally, after a good amount of walking, The Umbra stopped at a black door. I would’ve missed it if it wasn’t for her.  I turned the golden doorknob into what I would call home for who knows how long.


End file.
